Electronic devices such as portable media players and cellular telephones with media playback capabilities typically contain audio jacks. Accessories such as headsets have mating plugs. A user who desires to use a headset with an electronic device may connect the headset to the electronic device by inserting the headset plug into the mating audio jack on the electronic device. Miniature size (3.5 mm) phone jacks and plugs are commonly used in electronic devices such as portable media players and cellular telephones, because audio connectors such as these are relatively compact.
It is often desirable to connect electronic devices such as these to a personal computer. When this type of arrangement is used, media files from the personal computer can be loaded onto the electronic device and power can be supplied to the electronic device to recharge its battery.
A stand-alone cable or a cable that is part of a dock accessory can be used as an adapter to connect an electronic device to a personal computer. One end of the adapter is typically provided with a universal serial bus (USB) connector to plug into the computer. The cable or dock also has a corresponding connector that plugs into the electronic device. The connector that plugs into the device is often a specialized multi-pin power and data connector.
Specialized connectors such as the widely used 30-pin connector on some of the media player and cellular telephone products of Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. consume a relatively large amount of volume in an electronic device. It may therefore be desirable to omit these connectors to save space or to enhance device aesthetics. In a device in which a 30-pin data connector is not available, the audio plug may be temporarily used in connecting the device to the personal computer. With this type of arrangement, an adapter cable may have a USB connector on one end to plug into a personal computer and may have an audio plug on the other end to plug into the audio jack of the electronic device.
Adapters with audio-plug-to-USB capabilities may be helpful in coupling personal computers to electronic devices that have only audio jack ports. Care should be taken, however, to retain desired levels of functionality when using such an adapter. It would be desirable, for example, to avoid situations in which the use of the adapter interferes with a user's ability to obtain status indicator information.